UFO ROUNDUP

Volume 9
Number 41
October 13th, 2004

Editor: Joseph Trainor

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"ALIEN INVASION" SENDS VILLAGERS FLEEING IN ROMANIA

"A Romanian village was left deserted after its
inhabitants fled in panic after mistaking disco lights in
a nearby town for an alien invasion."

"Villagers in Cristinesti, in eastern Romania,
thought they were under attack by aliens when they saw
bright, multi-colored lights in the sky and started
leaving the village en masse."

"But police who were called out to investigate
discovered the lights were coming from an open-air disco
in the town of Herta, near the Ukrainian border, the daily
(newspaper) Adevarul reported."

"They persuaded the villagers to eventually return to
their homes."

"Costel Roman, one of the villagers, said, 'Everybody
was out on the streets and wondering what to do if aliens
landed. We believed that we were seeing UFOs, and some
old legends from around here about clocks stopping,
animals going crazy and a previous UFO landing in the area
suddenly came to our minds. We were terrified.'"

"He added, 'We were so happy when we heard we had
escaped an alien invasion.'" (See the Romanian newspaper
Adevarul for October 5, 2004, "Fleeing villagers mistook
disco lights for aliens." Many thanks to Jim Hickman,
executive director of Skywatch International for this news
story.)

INDIAN SCIENTIST SEES A UFO IN THE HIMALAYAS

"A space scientist claims to have come across an
unidentified flying object during a scientific expedition
in Himachal Pradesh" state in northern India.

"Dr. Anil V. Kulkarni of ISRO's Space Application
Centre saw the object on the morning of (Monday) September
27 (2004) while leading the expedition in the Samudra Tapu
glacier region near Chandratal" in the Himalayas "4,200
metres (14,000 feet--J.T.) above sea level. Other members
of the team also witnessed the unusual object."

"The sighting had been reported to authorities in
Kullu-Manali and New Delhi, and the Ahmedabad Space Centre
is analysing the photographs. While Kulkarni says it's
unlikely that the object he saw was a weather balloon
(though it looked like one--Dinesh C. Sharma), a member of
his team felt the 'UFO' could be an espionage device."

"'We saw the bright white object moving towards our
camp at about 7 a.m. It moved down the hilltop
(mountainside in the USA--J.T.) towards the bottom. Eight
persons from our party moved towards it, but the object
kept moving towards us. Then some porters made a noise,
and it started retreating in the same direction without
turning around. After a while, it turned and started to
move towards the hilltop,' said Kulkarni on his return
from Kullu-Manali."

"He said, 'The background was rocky, so we could see
the white object very clearly. It was about 0.9 to 1.3
metres (3 to 4 feet) tall, and balloons were attached to
the head. One was red and the rest were white. It had
what looked like two legs, and it looked as if it was
floating a few inches above the ground.'"

"Since it was early morning, there was mountain
shadow in the region. 'The moment it came into contact
with solar radiation (sunlight) its colour changed to
black. Then it took off vertically and moved along the
ridge for about three to four minutes in a southerly
direction. Soon after, the colour changed back to white,
and it moved towards our camp. It remained stationary
overhead for three to four minutes and moved towards a
northerly direction and disappeared,' the scientist said."

"Kulkarni rules out the possibility of the object
being an experimental balloon."

"'The object moved in a slanting direction without
touching the hill. It also changed colour and was moving
in a direction different to the prevailing wind. All this
suggests that the object could not have been a weather
balloon,'" he added.

On Tuesday, October 5, 2004, at 10:20 p.m., a UFO was
seen over the city of Jaipur, in India's Rajasthan state.
Eyewitness Sanket Sharma reported, "I'm an amateur
astronomer and have been studying the skies for years. I
have formed a habit of looking at the skies for a few
minutes every night when I park my car. I was in for a
surprise today (Tuesday, October 5, 2004) when, after
parking the car, I looked up in the sky and found a rather
big object with several lights below it. It came from a
northeasterly direction and went straight towards the
southwest. It was not moving very fast."

"It was shaped like a triangle or boomerang with
lights installed along the edges. Some of the lights were
focused in different directions like it was searching for
something. I ran inside and called out my mom and dad,
but unfortunately, by the time they had come, it was gone.
I saw it for a good five to six seconds."

"The body (fuselage) seemed black, and it was shaped
like a triangle, a boomerang or an American Stealth bomber
with about six to eight bright lights along the edges. I
cannot estimate its height and speed precisely, but it was
extremely low for a flying machine."

Jaipur is about 200 kilometers (120 miles) southwest
of New Delhi, the capital of India. (See the Hindustan
Times for October 2, 2004, "A balloon, a spy-sat or a
UFO?" Many thanks to Prasant Solomon of UFO India and Jim
Hickman, executive director of Skywatch International, for
this newspaper article. The Jaipur sighting was an Email
Form Report.)

SASKATCHEWAN FAMILY SEES A UFO NEAR THE BIG DIPPER STARGATE

On Wednesday, August 25, 2004, at 11 p.m., eyewitness
T.M. reported, "We were houseboating on Tobin Lake" in
northern Saskatchewan province, Canada, "and were docked
for the night. It was about 11 p.m., and we were sitting
by a campfire when I had a brief but unforgettable
experience."

"I had been living down south for many years and was
excited about the bright stars and was looking for the Big
Dipper (constellation Ursa Major --J.T.) when I saw an
extremely bright star and said to my group, 'Wow! That
star is really bright! Look...now it's moving.' And by

the time they looked, it had zipped out of sight."

"What I saw was a bright light that was a bit
brighter than any star and moved slowly from east to west
and then abruptly stopped and went super-fast due north."

"There is no way, first of all, that any plane could
have moved that fast, and not to mention that there aren't
too many planes or jets in northern Saskatchewan. I am
submitting this late because I can't get it out of my mind
and am hoping someone else has seen something similar."

Tobin Lake is on Provincial Highway 35, located about
120 miles (200 kilometers) northeast of Saskatoon. (Email
Form Report)

(Editor's Note: Amateur astronomer Ted Anderson also
reported "heavy UFO activity" near the stargate in Ursa
Major during August 2004.)

DAYLIGHT DISC SIGHTED IN HARLOW, ESSEX, UK

On Thursday, October 7, 2004, at 11:30 a.m., Pat
Campion was outdoors at her home in Harlow, Essex, UK and
reported, "Whilst viewing a normal plane up high in the
sky" to the south "another object came into view, which at
first appeared to be a plane but had no vapour stream
(condensation trail or contrail in the USA--J.T.) as it
crossed the path of the plane I was first observing. Then,
as a small cloud, which obscured my view for about five
seconds, had passed by, the object vanished
unexplainably."

Pat described the object as "Grey, circular, at a
height of 30,000 feet (9,000 meters) similar to a plane."

"I never reported on anything before, and this makes
me feel a bit silly, but I know what I saw. If it was an
aeroplane, then it was no ordinary plane. It looked like
no other."

"The closest likeness I can relate it to is observing
a satellite in the clear night sky and, just as it passes
over, the thing disappears. It was a clear sunny day with
a blue sky and only a few clouds, and the object was a bit
larger than a satellite, and I did not have to strain my
eyes to see it." (Email Form Report)

SAUCER IN THE BRONX

On Friday, October 1, 2004, at 5:46 a.m., Richard
A.L. reported, "I was standing on the platform of the
Buhre Avenue train station" in the Pelham Bay section of
the Bronx, one of the five boroughs of New York City
"waiting for the Number 6 train. I was facing east,
looking up into the stars as it was a clear, crisp
morning, still dark out. As I was looking up, I noticed a
small, silver, round disc moving very, very slowly. Then,
after a few seconds, it shot upward very quickly, then
disappeared into the sky." (Email Form Report)

TRIANGULAR UFO SIGHTED OVER BOISE, IDAHO

On Monday, October 4, 2004, at 9:50 p.m., Brad Mather
reported, "I caught an object in my peripheral vision,
coming over the house. Turned about 40 degrees very
quickly (two-and-a-half to three seconds--B.M.) I lost
sight of the object in the trees. Left no 'tail' like
meteors do. Could have been a high skimmer but not like
any meteor I've ever seen. I was curious if anybody else
saw it."

Brad described the UFO as "three points of light,
triangular, would 'fit' inside the full moon. No
describable body. (Maybe) three separate objects?
Traveled in a straight line (but) nothing to gauge
altitude or velocity by." (Email Form Report)

NEW CATTLE MUTILATION REPORTED IN ARGENTINA

A new case of cattle mutilation was reported in a
rural area south of General Acha, a small city in
Argentina's La Pampa province.

"At the rural estate known as Hucal, located south of
General Acha in La Pampa (province), a total of three
Aberdeen Angus cows was discovered on" three separate
days--Friday, August 6; Thursday, August 12; and Thursday,
August 26, 2004.

According to Planeta UFO, "the animals were missing
their udders, ears, eyes, entire tongues and also showed
mutilations in their maxillaries (jawbones--J.T.). The
state in which these animals were found are similar to
those previous cases" in La Pampa province "and which
destroyed 1,300 beef cattle during 2002 and 2003."
(See Planeta UFO for October 6, 2004, "Mutilated cows in
La Pampa." Muchas gracias a Scott Corrales y Raul Oscar
Chaves para estas noticias.)

CROP CIRCLE DISCOVERED IN NOYAN, QUEBEC, CANADA

"A crop circle formation measuring 20 metres (66
feet) in diameter" was discovered in Noyan, Quebec
province, Canada. It was the fourteenth crop circle
formation found in Canada during 2004.

"The crop circle was first reported (Saturday)
September 11, 2004 in Le Canada Francais newspaper,"
reported Paul Anderson of Canadian Crop Circle Research
Network. "There was a radial lay of plants from the
centre outward to the edge of the circle. An
investigation by CCCRN is now in progress." (Many thanks
to Paul Anderson of CCCRN for this news story.)

FIRE POLTERGEIST GOES ON A RAMPAGE IN NAMIBIA

"Police are investigating an occurrence of a ghost
speaking through a 13-year-old girl in Ongolongela," a
village in the southwest African nation of Namibia, "after
six huts allegedly burned down."

"The headman of the village has asked the police to
arrest a man whose name was mentioned by the girl, to
protect her from angry villagers who want to kill her."

"The police commander for the Ohangwena region,
Deputy Commissioner Armas Shivute, told The Namibian
(newspaper) is continuing his fieldwork for the
investigation."

"'The story, as related to me, is terrible, but we
cannot arrest the person the villagers are demanding.
Because you never really have proof when it comes to
phenomena such as witchcraft and ghosts. All we can do is
take what actions we can to protect him,' Deputy
Commissioner Shivute said."

"According to reliable sources at Ongolongela
village, 13-year-old Ndapandula Bertha Kambwali started
speaking in a strange voice last month (September 2004),
saying 'I am Ndemutikila Ngulu, and I am going to burn and
destroy your huts and beat you all up in that village.'"

"Ndemutikila Ngulu, a woman living in the same
village, is now in danger because villagers accuse her of
witchcraft and destroying their huts."

"According to the source, a total of six huts have
burned down, and 'a ghost' has beaten up some villagers."

"The fires always start after the threatening voice
is heard from the girl, the source explained." (See The
Namibian for September 22, 2004, "Ghost burns huts in
Ongolongela." Merci beaucoup a Robert Fischer pour cette
nouvelles.)

ARE GOTHS PLANNING NEW COLUMBINE MASSACRES?

"Two Central Texas high school students have been
arrested and accused of planning to recreate the (April)
1999 shootings at Columbine High School in Colorado."

Police in Cedar Park, Texas (population 26,049) "have
charged the 15- and 16-year-old boys with making
terroristic threats, a third degree felony."

"Cedar Park Police Captain Jeff Hayes says the boys
planned to carry out the shootings during a school pep
rally."

"He told the Austin American-Statesman (newspaper)
that they had even determined particular students they
planned to target."

"He said they were waiting for a cold front so they
could wear long trench coats to conceal their weapons."

"Police discovered the plans on (Tuesday) September
28 (2004) and arrested the boys Friday," October 1, 2004.

A plot similar to the Cedar Park, Texas conspiracy
was also reported in southern Massachusetts.

"A plan by a teenager to murder teachers and students
in April (2005), the same month a massacre at Columbine
High School in Colorado took place in 1999, was foiled by
the arrest of a Massachusetts student last month, police
said on Wednesday," October 6, 2004.

"Police said the 16-year-old boy, being held without
bail in a Massachusetts jail, was arrested after police in
Marshfield (population 4,246) found maps of the teenager's
school that showed gas lines and doorways and evidence
that he had exploded bombs in a wooded area and contacted
Web sites for information on bomb-making."

"Marshfield Police Chief William Sullivan told a news
conference that the student had named teachers and
students 'who were going to be murdered' next April."

"In this month in 1999, two students in Columbine,
Colo. launched the deadliest shooting in U.S. history,
storming their high school with bombs, shotguns and semi-
automatic weapons. They murdered 13 students and a
teacher and wounded more than 20 before killing
themselves."

"Police arrested the teenager, who also has been
charged with being a danger to the community, because he
had the 'means and opportunity' to create a substantial
loss of life,' Sullivan said. He added that police are
still investigating whether the student was plotting
alone."

"'We believe he was the primary mover, but we are
checking out others,' Sullivan said, adding that the
school is now safe."

Marshfield is on Route 3A and 139 about 30 miles (48
kilometers) south-southeast of Boston. (See the Austin,
Tex. American-Statesman for October 2, 2004 and the
Taunton, Mass. Daily Gazette for October 6, 2004,
"Marshfield police say they foiled planned school
massacre.")

(Editor's Comment: Are these just isolated copycats? Or
is there something going on in the Goth underground, of
which the alleged Columbine killers, Dylan Klebold and
Eric Harris, were both members?)

FEMA LAUNCHES QUIET TRAINING PROGRAM

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has
launched a quiet program to train local cadres for an
unspecified emergency. But the controversial agency's
program has received little or no publicity.

According to Alabama researcher Mark Erwin, "On
Tuesday (September 28, 2004), a new federally-funded FEMA-
directed citizen training program began in my town called
CERT."

"CERT stands for Community Emergency Response Team."

"My neighbor's teenaged son attended CERT's initial
orientation meeting and later showed me the equipment and
materials he was given."

"Then, exactly one week later (Monday, November 1,
2004), CERT's training program will conclude with a
'Disaster simulation and examination.'"

"The final day of the CERT training program, the day
CERT will climax with a 'disaster simulation' is none
other than" the day before the USA's Election Day.

(Editor's Note: For the past month, there have been
persistent rumors that the Bush administration will cancel
the election and impose martial law as the response to a
serious terrorist attack.)

Erwin added, "The CERT training timetable parallels
exactly the training timetable for the Texas State Guard,
leaked by a brave Guardsman to radio talk-show host Alex
Jones. He told Alex that units of the Texas State Guard
are being intensively trained to be ready for martial-law-
style deployments the first week of November (2004)."
(See "Is an Election Day Faux-Terror Event all but CERT-
ain?" by Mark Erwin, copyright October 7, 2004. Many
thanks to Rachelle Ward for forwarding this article.)

ANOTHER ISRAELI NABBED, THIS TIME IN OKLAHOMA

"A man responsible for the closing of a state highway
in Delaware County," Oklahoma "for three hours is familiar
to the FBI, Undersheriff Dale Eberle said Monday," October
4, 2004.

"A two-mile stretch of State Highway 20, east of Jay,
Okla. (population 2,482) was closed Saturday," October 2,
2004, "while an Oklahoma Highway Patrol bomb squad
searched the man's car. Authorities had received a report
of 'possible terrorist activities.'"

"The FBI office in Tulsa (population 393,049) was
notified, and agents were called to interview the man. He
was released after being held for seven hours. The man,
who identified himself as Israeli, was unable to show a
passport or visa."

"Eberle declined to identify the man since no arrests
were made. The FBI received 'some hits on his name and
said they had dealt with him before,'" the undersheriff
said.

"The man, approximately 40 years old, is married to a
U.S. citizen, Eberle said. He did have an Arizona
(driver's) license with a Gentry, Arkansas address."

"Saturday the Delaware County Sheriff's Office
received a report that a man stopped at a convenience
store near Jay and was asking directions to Oklahoma. He
was driving a car with what appeared to be a pipe bomb
attached to the roof."

"Eberle said the 'pipe bomb' was a video camera
inside tubes taking pictures of the area's surroundings.
The highway patrol determined the pipes did not contain
any explosives, he said."

"'Our concern was for the Pensacola Dam and the two
waterlands that feed Tulsa,' Eberle said."

"Eberle said the man was in Jay last week asking
questions about the community's industry. He also ate at
a local diner, but he refused to use a metal knife or a
glass because he didn't want to leave his fingerprints, he
said."

Jay, Okla. is on State Highways 20 and 69, located
about 60 miles (100 kilometers) east-northeast of Tulsa.
(See The Oklahoman for October 5, 2004, "FBI familiar with
mysterious traveler." Many thanks to Jim Danvers for
forwarding this newspaper article.)

(Editor's Comment: This just shows that Al-Qaeda isn't
the only group of fanatics Americans need to worry about.
The Likud is perfectly capable of launching terror attacks
inside the USA in order to stampede the Americans into
fighting their war against Iran for them.)

MYSTERIOUS HORSE DEATHS REPORTED IN MINNESOTA

"Veterinarians and university researchers are still
trying to determine why 11 of Ann Hoppe's 32 horses
suddenly died last week."

"'That's the hardest part,' Hoppe said, 'The
(veterinarians) were just absolutely dumbfounded...They
thought they would find obvious signs when they got into
the autopsy. They haven't found that yet.'"

"On (Monday) Sept. 27 (2004), three of Hoppe's horses
became ill. Veterinarians from New Ulm (population
13,594) couldn't determine the cause of the sickness. The
next day, those horses and eight others died. The vets
concluded that some kind of poison was responsible because
of the quick onset of symptoms."

"Hoppe said the veterinarians suggested white
snakeroot as a culprit, but other officials aren't so
sure."

Madelia, Minn. is just west of Highway 15 in Watonwan
County, located about 103 miles (165 kilometers) southwest
of Minneapolis. (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for
October 6, 2004, "Death of 11 horses remains mystery.")

MERCURY 7 ASTRONAUT GORDON COOPER DIES

"Gordon Cooper, one of the (USA's) original Mercury 7
astronauts died Monday," October 4, 2004, NASA announced.
He was 77.

"Cooper flew the sixth and final flight of the
Mercury program--in a spacecraft known as Faith 7--in May
1963, becoming the first astronaut to sleep in space
during more than 34 hours and 22 orbits of the Earth."

"Cooper's death leaves only three living Mercury
astronauts: John Glenn, Scott Carpenter and Wally Schirra.
These men, selected in spring 1959 as the inaugural class
of astronauts, were instant celebrities, girding to win
the space race against the Soviet Union."

In 1951, Cooper, then a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot
stationed in Germany, witnessed the speedy overflight of a
silver daylight disc UFO.

NASA did not release a cause of death for Cooper, who
lived in Ventura, California. He is survived by his wife,
Susan, and two daughters."

"'As one of the original seven Mercury astronauts,
Gordon Cooper was one of the faces of America's fledgling
space program,' O'Keefe said, 'He truly portrayed the
right stuff, and he helped gain the backing and enthusiasm
of the American public so critical for the spirit of
exploration.'"

"The youngest of the Mercury group, Cooper completed
a 1963 flight that was more than three times longer than
any American mission before it."

"Cooper left NASA and retired from the Air Force in
1970. He worked in a number of industries, including as
vice president for research and development for the EPCOT
theme park" in Florida. (See the Duluth, Minn. News-
Tribune for October 5, 2004, "Original Mercury 7 astronaut
Gordon Cooper was first to sleep in space," page 5A.)

SPIRIT AND OPPORTUNITY STILL ALIVE AND ROVING

"NASA's Mars rovers have lasted longer than expected,
but the space agency won't let them rest on their
laurels."

"Already on the second extension of their mission,
rovers Spirit and Opportunity have lasted so long that
mission scientists have left NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena, California and returned to their
own institutions, working via telephone and video
conferences and remote networking."

"Since landing on opposite sides of Mars in January
(2004), both six-wheel robots have found evidence of water
in the planet's past--including new discoveries of rocks
with polygon-shaped fractures that could indicate two eras
of water activity in a crater named Endurance."

"The rovers are still capable of work, and
controllers may even have Opportunity leave Endurance
Crater soon via a 25- to 30-degree slope dubbed 'escape
hatch.'"

"The rovers together have sent 50,000 images to
Earth." (See USA Today for October 11, 2004, "Mars rovers
keep going and going...," page 7D.)

FBI TAKES CONTROL OF OTHER FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES

"Attorney General John Ashcroft quietly has issued a
sweeping directive that authorizes the FBI to use hundreds
of law enforcement agents to help investigate any
terrorist plots that target the" USA's November 2, 2004
elections.

"The directive--the first of its kind since the Sept.
11, 2001 terrorist attacks--allows the FBI to tap agents
from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Drug Enforcement
Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF) as part of a nationwide
effort by FBI-led counterterrorism units to seek out and
stop any plots against the elections."

"U.S. law enforcement officials continue to say that
beyond intelligence reports indicating that Al-Qaeda wants
to disrupt the elections, they have no specific
information about an existing plot, method or target of a
potential attack."

"The directive was issued without fanfare at a time
when the Bush administration is being accused by Democrats
and civil-rights activists of using terrorism alerts to
discourage people from voting. But it offers insight into
the government's ongoing concern about an attack similar
to the deadly train bombings in Madrid last March, just
before the Spanish elections."

"'In this time of heightened threat, I am directing
that all of the (Justice) Department's law enforcement
resources be available...if and when necessary to prevent
terrorist attacks,' Ashcroft said in the directive, a copy
of which was obtained by USA Today."

"FBI and Homeland Security authorities have
acknowledged that the (USA's federal) government has
deployed an undisclosed number of agents across the
country to improve security during the presidential
campaign and through the inauguration in January (2005)."

"Ashcroft's directive, which remains in effect for 60
days, allows FBI field supervisors unusually broad
authority to use personnel from other agencies to conduct
interviews, assist in any surveillance of potential
terrorism suspects and help in other anti-terror duties."

"It's not clear whether the FBI has used this special
authority."

"But agents have begun meeting with Muslim leaders
across the country to try to gather intelligence--a move
that some Muslims have criticized, saying it puts them in
a position of being forced to reveal their political views
or talk about their neighbors."

"Agents have begun surveillance on an undisclosed
number of people, whom the FBI views as potential
terrorism suspects. Agents are also asking owners of
rental storage units whether they have noticed any
customers moving suspicious materials into and out of the
facilities."

"The frenzy of law enforcement activity is similar to
what took place before the national political conventions
and the Summer Olympic Games in Athens, where authorities
were concerned that Al-Qaeda might attempt an attack."

"But the persistent warnings about terrorism also
have drawn skepticism from some Democratic (Party)
election officials and civil-rights advocates, who have
accused the Republican White House of creating a climate
of fear that, among other things, could suppress voter
turnout. Heavy voter turnout has historically favored
Democrats in U.S. elections."

"Some local officials in Indiana accused Secretary of
State Todd Rokita, a Republican, of trying to intimidate
voters after he asked election clerks to develop responses
to 'an immediate and present danger.'"

"Engy Abdelkader, civil-rights director for the
Council on American-Islamic Relations, says that Arab-
Americans and other minorities could choose to stay away
from the polls if they believe that federal agents will be
questioning people there."

"This could have a very politically chilling effect
on our community,' Abdelkader says, 'We are monitoring
this very closely.'" (See USA Today for October 7, 2004,
"FBI to get help on Election Day plots," page 3A.)

(Editor's Comment: For the past month, there have been
persistent rumors in Texas, Florida, North Carolina and
Utah that the elections will be cancelled and martial law
will be declared on November 1. Ashcroft's directive has
pushed us closer to the brink than ever we were during the
run-up to Y2K five years ago.)

SPY BLIMP APPEARS OVER WASHINGTON, D.C.

"'It didn't have any markings on it. I didn't know
what it was doing,' said Amy Marks, who lives in
Washington and works for the National Organization for
Women. 'It was pretty strange.'"

"The Army leased the 178-foot (54-meter) airship from
the American Blimp Corp. and mounted sensors and infrared
and electro-optical cameras on it, to test its utility to
detect possibly threatening ground movements."

"The blimp could provide real-time images for the
surveillance of pipelines, shipping channels and ports,
according to an Army statement. It also could help catch
or deter anyone planting roadside explosives."

"'What we're looking at is just a proof of concept,'
said Navy Commander Mike Giauque, who's working on the
project with the Army's Air, Space and Missile Defense
Office in Huntsville," Alabama.

"Cameras and sensors that provide security for U.S.
troop encampments in Iraq and Afghanistan are mounted on
platforms or small, tethered balloons."

"Mounting the cameras and sensors on blimps, Giauque
said, would give the system much more range. 'You
wouldn't just have your sensor sitting outside your camp--
it would give you that mobility.'"

"James Thiele, the president of American Blimp, which
is based in Hillsboro, Oregon, said he hoped the
military's interest was a sign of the long-ignored blimp's
renaissance in military circles. It has been proposed for
border-security patrols, too, and it could be used in
urban counterterrorism surveillance, although the Army has
no plans for domestic use."

"Unlike helicopters and other aircraft, blimps can
remain in the air for several days while consuming little
fuel, Thiele said. They're all but immune to puncture
wounds because they're so big and the pressure of the
helium that keeps them afloat is so low."

"When you combine some of the unique characteristics
of an airship with the new surveillance technology, it's
got a pretty incredible potential,' Thiele said."

(Editor's Comment: You also get scenes straight out of
Michael Moorcock's 1973 science fiction novel, The Warlord
of the Air. Blimps could conceivably take over the New
World Order's 24/7 aerial surveillance duties, freeing up
the black helicopters for a combat role.)

"'Since 9/11, there's certainly been a more open mind
about any technology that works,'" Thiele added.

"The blimp, which also cruised over Chesapeake Bay to
test its utility in shipping surveillance, heads to
Huntsville next for further tests." (See the Duluth,
Minn. News-Tribune for October 3, 2004, "Spy blimp test
makes some Washingtonians jittery," page 19A.)

READER FEEDBACK:

A LOOK BACK AT SUMER

Concerning UFO Roundup volume 9, number 35, for
September 1, 2004, "4000 B.C.: Iraq's mysterious
pyramids," page 12, reader Iris Freelander wrote, "I am
grateful to be on your mailing list and for the
fascinating information that you give us. When you
recently wrote about Iraq, it was particularly interesting
to me for it gave credence to information that I received
in a Meditation that I experienced with two friends in
Sedona, Arizona in 1995."

"Ed had asked me if I had ever described, in past-
life recall through Meditation, times the three of us had
been together. My response was, 'No, but let's ask right
now.'"

"Subsequently revealed to me was a life in Sumer, in
Mesopotamia (Not 'Macedonia,' I was told--I.F.), located
between the two great rivers, the Tigris and the
Euphrates. I had been a priestess in a temple. Ed had
been my son, who created and maintained the lighting
system in the temple. The other friend, Evelyn, had been
a healer who would very sucessfully heal with herbs."

"Thanks again for your fascinating information."
(Editor's Comment: Iris's letter tweaked my curiosity, so
I dug out my copy of The Ancient Near East, my source book
on the Sumerian civilization. Sure enough, there was an
order of priestesses dedicated to Ninkarrak, the goddess
of healing.)

Report From the Editor

If you haven't seen it yet, don't miss Sky Captain
and the World of Tomorrow. This CGI-fest is truly "the
movie for the nerds, by the nerds." It has the look and
feel of a "lost sci-fi film" from the 1930s. Among the
scenes that me laugh were the miniaturized elephant
(similar to a scene in Dr. Cyclops, 1940); the underwater
wreck of the S.S. Venture (from King Kong, 1933); and the
partially-submerged dinosaur on Dr. Totenkopf's island
(primordial Dagobah in The Empire Strikes Back, 1980).

The Day After Tomorrow is now out on DVD, joining
Fahrenheit 911 and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed on the
shelves. I can't decide which scene is funnier--Attorney
General John Ashcroft trying to sing like Mel Torme, or
Scooby on the dance floor at the Faux Ghost.

From the UFO Files...

1908: RAGGEDY ANNE IN SPACE

I came across this odd little case while researching
the UFO flap in the USA's six New England states during
October 1908. Just three days before a black spherical
UFO was sighted in Bridgewater, Massachusetts by John E.
Flynn and Philip S. Prophett, there was this strange
disappearance in Walpole, Mass., just 14 miles (23
kilometers) to the northwest.

Here it is:

"Tired and bedraggled after their all-night search,
the 250 men who beat the bushes in this vicinity returned
today (October 28, 1908) without finding a trace of pretty
little three-year-old Emma Schneider, who disappeared
yesterday (October 27, 2004). In spite of the fact that
they are pretty well exhausted, the search was revived
again."

"The sympathy of the whole town has been evoked for
John and Emma Schneider, parents of the child. The little
one is a great favorite, and the townspeople took her
strange disappearance to heart and promise to remain on
the hunt until she has been located, no matter how long
this may take."

"All yesterday morning, the little girl played about
the yard of her house on Norfolk Street" in Walpole, Mass.
"with her (Raggedy Anne) doll, toys and kitten. In the
afternoon, a group of gypsies passed the place, yet Mrs.
Schneider thought nothing of it. A short while later, she
looked for little Emma, who could not be found. Then the
frantic mother ran and gave the alarm. The town and
church bells were rung, calling out the entire populace."

"When the facts of the case became known, search was
immediately begun, and a body of men, thinking perhaps the
little one had strayed into the cedar swamp near the
house, scattered and went through it, going over every
inch of ground without finding a single clew that gave an
inkling as to the whereabouts of the child."

"Early today (October 28, 1908), in another part of
the forest was found a little kitten crying and straying,
thoroughly bewildered. This gave a ray of hope as it was
thought that the child had carried her pet with her. The
search was renewed with renewed vigor but nothing
resulted."

"While the woods were being searched by the
volunteers, the police officers of the town started off
after the gypsies. They trailed them (south) for some
distance and arrived at the conclusion that they were
camped somewhere in Mansfield. The chances are that the
camp will be visited sometime today, although the
searching of the woods, too, will be continued."

"When the little girl was last seen, she had on blue
(denim) overalls, such as children wear while playing,
black shoes and no hat. She is described as having blue
eyes and light hair. On her there is a scratch received
in playing."

Just as hopes of finding the girl began to fade, Emma
made a startling reappearance.

"After a search all night Tuesday and the greater
part of today (October 28, 1908), Emma Schneider, 3 years
old, was found in a swamp about a mile and a half from her
home. The child was suffering somewhat from hunger and
exposure but was otherwise all right."

"Her tiny face wan and white from 34 hours' exposure
in the dismal cedar swamp where she had strayed, Emma
Schneider, 3 years old, was returned to her anguished
mother at three o'clock yesterday afternoon (October 28,
1908) by Fireman William Donohue, who found the child
after an all-night and all-day search by the (Walpole)
police and fire department and 300 citizens."

"Around the mother and the big fireman crowded the
army of searchers, and the weeping woman clasped her child
to her breast and covered the little upturned face with
kisses, hats were thrown in the air, and a mighty cheer
burst forth. In her moment of supreme joy, the mother
fainted."

"Until the child recovers from her fright and
exhaustion, how she came to be lost in the cedar swamp
cannot be told, and even then her baby prattle may not
fully explain the mystery."

Emma's beloved doll, Raggedy Anne, remained missing.

As I pointed out in my Fortean Studies article on the
1908 UFO flap, "The day before Emma Schneider went
missing, two boys, Charles Kirby and Edward Murphy, both
aged nine, became lost in the woods in Holliston, Mass.
The boys were found after three hours by local police
officers and 50 volunteers. This party searched a wooded
area three times as large and far more rural than Emma's
neighborhood in Walpole. Yet somehow little Emma managed
to elude her 300-man search party for 34 hours."

The Emma Schneider case properly belongs to a
category that Fortean researcher Bob Rickard calls Taken
Away and Brought Back (TABB). There is no real proof that
she was abducted by aliens.

But I can't help but wonder if Emma, at age 72,
having taken her grandchildren to see the premiere of Star
Wars in 1977, experienced a strange inexplicable feeling
of deja vu as she watched the movie.

One other thing--Walpole, Mass. is also famous for the
disappearance of Peter Rugg and his daughter in the
Eighteenth Century. Rugg has entered Bay State folklore
as "the man who'll never return." But this wasn't a TABB
case. Pete and his daughter were "taken away"...period!
(See Fortean Studies - Volume 3, "Monkey Business: The New
England UFO Flap of 1908" by Joseph Trainor, John Brown
Publishing, London, 1996, pages 270 and 271. See also the
Attleboro, Mass. Sun for October 28, 1908, "Hundreds
Search All Night for Little Girl," and for October 29,
1908, "Walpole Child is Found in Swamp;" and the
Pawtucket, R.I. Times for October 29, 1908, "Child Found,"
page 2.)

Well, that's it for this week. Join us in seven days
for more UFO, Fortean and paranormal news from around the
planet Earth, brought to you by "the paper that goes home-
-UFO Roundup." See you next time!

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